Nathan - Meaning of Nathan

[ 2 syll.nat-han, na-th-an ] The baby boy name Nathan is pronounced as NEY-THahN in English †. Nathan is used predominantly in the English and Hebrew languages, and it is derived from Hebrew origins. The name is of the meaning gift. A biblical name, it is derived literally from the word 'nathan' which means to give. The name was borne in the Bible by a prophet who criticized David for planning the death of Uriah so as to marry the latter's wife. It was also borne by one of the sons of David. The name was taken up by English Puritans in the 17th century, and it saw a revival in the late 19th century.

In addition, Nathan is a contraction (English) of the name Jonathan (English, German, and Hebrew).

Nathan is also a contraction (English and Hebrew) of the name Nathaniel (English and French).

See also the related forms, Lathan and Nathanael (English, French, and German).

Nathan is a very popular baby name for boys, and it is also viewed as fairly trendy. The name's popularity has been increasing since the 2000s. At the height of its usage in 2006, 0.651% of baby boys were given the name Nathan. Its ranking then was #23. In 2012, its usage was 0.515% and its ranking #29, and it was the most popular within all boy names in its group. In 2012, Nathan was more commonly used than the next most popular name, Jonathan, by 12% .